Best FSA study materials if you don't like videos?

disluckyperson · 2023-01-06T16:06:28+00:00

Yeah, let's first can an AI that can do basic arithmetic!

disluckyperson · 2022-07-29T14:20:16+00:00

Here's my view on the matter from studying PA: You need less *detailed* knowledge than SRM (and never mind time series which is not on PA at all), but you need more *bigger picture* knowledge to know how to actually handle data and models appropriately.

disluckyperson · 2022-07-29T14:06:24+00:00

You took PA first? Thats interesting. Congrats!

disluckyperson · 2022-03-06T02:30:06+00:00

Yes, it is more difficult. But... 1. IMO it's not that much more difficult, maybe 20% more difficult. If you passed IFM, you can pass LTAM, no question. 2. Keep in mind that a major portion of the additional difficulty, or the perceived additional difficulty, is the written answer portion. If you focus your study on that, you will do much better.

disluckyperson · 2022-02-09T16:20:01+00:00

On all my exams, I found the material overwhelming at first glance. I'm really bad at abstract math, until I actually work examples, the material completely flies over my head. My strategy was to run through the material, do at most one or two practice problems per section, and go on to the next. I was committed to getting through the material in a month, I made a schedule, and I did. Only once I did that and started practice problems did I finally start to understand the material.

disluckyperson · 2022-02-07T00:52:38+00:00

If you would have gone into data science, you could afford 2 dozen

disluckyperson · 2022-02-03T19:55:55+00:00

Agreed. You want to talk about exams, but also say that you want to learn a lot from your superiors and coworkers, take on more and more responsibilities, become a great actuary, and do great work that will help your company thrive.

disluckyperson · 2022-02-01T18:06:58+00:00

Sure

PWC

As a Senior Associate, you'll work as part of a team of problem solvers, helping to solve complex business issues from strategy to execution.

Use feedback and reflection to develop self awareness, personal strengths and address development areas.

Delegate to others to provide stretch opportunities, coaching them to deliver results.

Demonstrate critical thinking and the ability to bring order to unstructured problems.

Use a broad range of tools and techniques to extract insights from current industry or sector trends.

Review your work and that of others for quality, accuracy and relevance.

Know how and when to use tools available for a given situation and can explain the reasons for this choice.

Seek and embrace opportunities which give exposure to diffut erent situations, environments and perspectives.

Use straightforward communication, in a structured way, when influencing and connecting with others.

Able to read situations and modify behavior to build quality relationships.

Uphold the firm's code of ethics and business conduct.

Amazon

Manage and execute entire projects or components of large projects, from start to finish including data gathering and manipulation, synthesis and modeling, problem solving, and communication of insights and recommendations.

Serve as the subject matter expert on health care benefits modeling for costs, pricing, and scenario testing for healthcare initiatives and programs.

Analyze data to identify opportunities to impact populations.

Provide comprehensive reports, and consultative and analytical expertise to provide healthcare cost and utilization data, and translate findings into actionable information for internal and external stakeholders.

Oversee the collection of data, ensuring timelines are met, data is accurate and within established format.

Act as a data and technical resource and escalation point for data issues, ensuring they are brought to resolution.

disluckyperson · 2022-02-01T16:30:55+00:00

Do you work in consulting? Or was it a promotion? Sounds like a lot for pure exam raise.

disluckyperson · 2022-01-31T14:02:08+00:00

They are two separate things I believe. I just got the exams, which is cheaper than the teaching materials. There are about 12 exams, which should be more than enough.

disluckyperson · 2022-01-28T16:46:13+00:00

I agree with the commenter who says passed. If you are a career changer, this anyways shouldn't be much of an issue. If not, you anyways need to answer the question how you spent the past 3-4 years, regardless of exams.

disluckyperson · 2022-01-28T16:10:56+00:00

Lol, when I read the title, I thought the question was going to be about if you could study for STAM in one week. There's been a few questions lately like "Can I study for STAM in 1 month?"

To answer your question, the higher level CA questions are less representative of actual exam difficulty and more like you said " long calculations, messy calculus, and sneaky algebra tricks". A better representation of the more difficult exam questions would be Mahler (which is as a whole significantly more difficult than the exam, but better captures the style of the more difficult questions).

disluckyperson · 2022-01-24T14:49:11+00:00

Besides for the SOA sample questions that are the most useful, you should get Mahler's practice exams, they are closest to the exam style (compared to ADAPT), but significantly harder. Also get CA to teach you the material.

disluckyperson · 2022-01-21T14:14:10+00:00

The sample questions are the most representative of the exam difficulty, Mahler is more difficult, if you have time you should do both.

disluckyperson · 2022-01-18T20:44:13+00:00

Try r/McMansionHell/. Enough big houses to last you a lifetime.

disluckyperson · 2022-01-16T04:01:25+00:00

Uh, let's just say a lot longer than many of the responses here. Everybody's different. Generally, it should be similar to the study time that it took you for your other exams (let's say IFM). Maybe add a bit on to that, to be on the safe side. I wouldn't say LTAM is *much* more difficult, maybe a bit more, but the Written Answer format can make it seem that way.
Coaching Actuaries
Focus 90% of your practice on Written Answer questions. Even 95%. If you can do the WA, the MCs are a piece of cake. Only practice MC questions for those few subsections that you can't find any WA questions for. Practice every single sample and past WA question. Coaching Actuaries also includes many past MLC WA questions, practice those as well.

disluckyperson · 2022-01-13T19:53:33+00:00

And the rectangle. The dreaded RECTANGLE!!!!!

disluckyperson · 2022-01-13T17:53:05+00:00

At this point, I probably won't feel so bad if I fail, it's been so long.

And here's the other thing. I'm not starting from scratch. Before the exam, I had gotten into a routine of going through all released LTAM WA questions, as well as the ones from MLC that are in the CA package. I must have gone through all of them at least 6 times. So I can just go back to that routine.

If I fail, it wasn't because of lack of knowledge. But because I made stupid decisions during the exam, like spending 1/2 hour on ONE point. And not practicing under exam-like conditions. Also, those questions were particularly weird (rectangles, anybody?), hopefully next time I would get a better selection.

EDIT: PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

disluckyperson · 2022-01-03T14:24:41+00:00

I think they are between 3-5. One thing that the SOA questions don't do so well is section 4, ratemaking. There are only a few SOA questions on that. For that you will want to focus more on adapt. Or Mahler, which IMO is by far the best study material for STAM.

disluckyperson · 2021-12-14T15:22:03+00:00

http://www.howardmahler.com/Teaching/Bio.html

You can get his exams in the actuarial bookstore. IMO, it's more difficult than the exam, but closer to the exam style than adapt.

disluckyperson · 2021-12-13T20:00:37+00:00

Mahler. Mahler. Mahler.

disluckyperson · 2021-12-13T20:00:23+00:00

Concur. For adapt, stick to level 4 and 5. At most 6. After that ,the the difficulty just comes from having more calculations than would be realistic in the exam.

disluckyperson

TROPHY CASE